BWI Live: A Penn State football podcast from Blue White Illustrated

Film analyst Thomas Frank Carr and former Penn State defensive tackle Aeneas Hawkins discuss the Blue-White Game and preview the 2023 season live from Beaver Stadium.

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Penn State will host over 80 scholarship players this weekend for the Blue-White game on Saturday. Hear some of the most interesting names, including players on commit watch for this weekend. from the leading industry insiders, Ryan Snyder and Sean Fitz.

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Penn State football wraps up spring practice this Saturday with the annual Blue-White Game at 2 pm. Before then, they held the final open practice of the spring season on Tuesday. To get you ready for this weekend and up-to-date on what's happening right now, the BWI Live crew breaks it all down. Host Thomas Frank Carr, Blue White Illustrated publisher Sean Fitz, and senior Editor Nate Bauer discuss what they saw and heard this week at Penn State practice and discuss what they're looking forward to learning this weekend. 

Be sure to tune in to BWI Live at 10 am to participate in the show. The team will also answer your questions during the BWI Mailbag portion to end the show. Don't forget to check out "Between the Lines", which features James Franklin's latest comments about NIL and facilities. 

As always, subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube so you don't miss any spring football coverage!

Penn State wraps up spring football

With only two practices left, we'll start the show focusing on the Blue-White Game on Saturday. Head coach James Franklin confirmed that his team would participate in a traditional spring game. So what are the experts looking for? And what should you keep your eye on? Fitz will share his thoughts about that subject and what he took away from practice this spring. 

Next, the group dives into open practice and what they observed on Tuesday evening. Bauer spent his time with the defense and has some tidbits to share with fans who haven't signed up yet for premium access. 

Meanwhile, T-Frank discusses what he saw from the offensive players during his time at open practice. 

After James Franklin's comments Tuesday night, Penn State made several players and coaches available. Bauer and T-Frank caught up with several of them and share what they learned from those players and staff members in the roughly 15 minutes of interview time. T-Frank spoke with new center Hunter Nourzad and receiver Trey Wallace while Bauer spoke with running back's coach Ja'Juan Seider. 

Franklin opens up about NIL 

While he said nothing new on Tuesday evening, Franklin's comments about the NIL and facilities took on a new meaning. Franklin was frank about his assessment of what the program needs when asked about the public debate around the Board of Trustees election this week. Bauer, BWI's leading expert on this subject, will discuss the intricacies of that topic with T-Frank. 

Finally, the group wraps up the show with your thoughts! You get the final word on the show in the BWI mailbag segment. Join the show to ask your question in the live chat or subscribe to Blue White Illustrated and drop your question in the weekly mailbag submission thread. 

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Penn State football is heating up on the recruiting trail with several big wins this weekend. Not only did the Nittany Lions get a commitment from top-100 player Quinton Martin Friday evening, but they also hosted several of their top prospects at key positions the same day. Is that a coincidence? 

Join the Blue White Illustrated Recruiting show to find out. Leading industry insiders Ryan Snyder and Sean Fitz discuss what they know and who they talked to this weekend to get you the inside information on Penn State recruiting. Today the show covers Martin's commitment, Nick Marsh's reaction to visiting campus, and the situation at several other critical positions, including quarterback and defensive line. 

If you haven't yet, subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube so you don't miss any live or breaking news. If you want to get your questions or comments on air, join the show live at 10 am on YouTube! 

Penn State lands quinton Martin

If you want to get an extended conversation on Martin's commitment to Penn State, check out our previous breaking news video, which came out Friday evening. However, Fitz and Snyder will provide some extra context to Martin's decision today on the show. 

Also, is it just happenstance that Martin, the 41st overall player in the Industry Ranking, committed to Penn State after four-star quarterback Luke Kromenhoek, five-star defensive end Dylan Stewart, and four-star wide receiver Nick Marsh visited campus? T-Frank wants to know how planned the experts think these commitments are and asks our experts.

 A star-studded Friday 

Next, T-Frank will ask the group about those names and their reactions to visiting this weekend. Fitz and Snyder will share what they know about the previous trio and New Jersey wide receiver Jaylen Hornsby. They'll also discuss 2025 defensive tackle Trent Wilson and the other notable defensive linemen who made it to campus this weekend. 

Both Fitz and Snyder have made it known that they think Penn State is about to go on a recruiting run this spring. Who might be next? And which positions does the class need to score quickly? 

Finally, the group will review Penn State's latest offers to 2024 prospects and beyond. Unlike last week, the Nittany Lions have sent out offers to the current class, including two massive offensive linemen. Phil Trautwein extended his recruiting board to include Florida tackle Deryce Plazz and Texas titan Bennett Warren. Check out the show to find out more about the new offers. 

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Penn State is starting Easter weekend off with one of its strongest contingent of recruits on campus this spring. The BWI podcast is back to drop the information to recap what happened this week and prepare you for another recruiting weekend. Recruiting insiders Ryan Snyder and Sean Fitz will discuss how many top targets are on campus this weekend, the offensive line board, and more. 

If you haven’t, subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube and enable notifications so you don’t miss any information from BWI. 

In a weekend that includes four-star wide receiver Nick Marsh and high-priority running back target Stacy Gage, the name that stands out is Dylan Stewart. The five-star defensive end and the top player in the class of 2024 visits campus Friday. When the experts read this situation, it’s one where Penn State needs to make a significant impression on Stewart to gain ground on the favorites in his recruitment. 

“But this is a situation where Penn State’s got to at least, you know, put themselves in the conversation, try and get him back for an official visit,” Fitz explains. 

“But the big boys are coming for Dylan Stewart, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, everybody’s in there. It would take a minor miracle for Penn State to land him.”

Meanwhile, Snyder sees an opening, if not a slim one, for Penn State. 

“I wouldn’t be absolutely shocked if you took an official visit to Penn State. But I think it’s pretty clear those three are well ahead of pretty much everybody else at the moment,” Snyder said. 

Offensive line board is expanding

The offensive line is another prominent topic on the show this Friday. Four-star offensive lineman Garrett Sexton released a list of top-four schools that included Penn State in the mix. The 6-7 offensive lineman will decide on May 1, and Snyder believes that Penn State has a shot at landing the athletic Wisconsin lineman. 

“From what I’ve been digging on, Penn State certainly is in a good position after this visit. And Penn State is very high on Sexton, and love his athleticism. You know, again, if this was a player, that would have emerged on everyone’s scene in the fall. We would be talking about him maybe not quite in the Kevin Haywood top, top, top tier, but he’s not that far off.”

Sexton played high school quarterback before this season and converted to the offensive line this past year, according to Snyder. 

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Penn State football opened up practice for the third time this spring in the second-to-last week of practice before the Blue-White Game on April 15. As usual, Blue White Illustrated was on hand to observe the roughly ten minutes of practice and what coaches and players had to say after the evening's conclusion. Today, the BWI Live show of Sean Fitz, Nate Bauer, and Thomas Frank Carr discusses their impressions of what happened. 

If you'd like to participate in the show, join us at 10 am on YouTube in the live chat. The panel of experts will answer questions throughout the show and interact with the audience. 

Today, they'll tackle training camp battles, Penn State's freshman linebacker duo, and of course, the offensive and defensive lines. 

Penn State Practice observations

Fitz, Bauer, and T-Frank will begin the show by discussing their observations of Penn State's open practice and the general thoughts that stick out about what they saw and heard. Next, T-Frank and Fitz will discuss the position battles that seem very quiet so far this year. T-Frank wants to know why. Next, Bauer will give his thoughts about the offensive side of the ball and what he saw on Tuesday.  

Between the Lines

Today's segment dedicated to understanding what head coach James Franklin means when he discusses a topic will focus on recruiting and freshman linebackers. Here are his comments on how challenging it is to recruit during the spring. 

I think we've been fortunate that the administration has been supportive. You guys know I've talked about this in the past with the new rules. They almost make it impossible to not have a big staff. You have to have the numbers. 

"As you guys have seen, we're literally at these practices and we'll have anywhere between 80 and 120 prospects at practice and some of them are guys that are rising seniors that we're trying to get to commit, some are rising juniors that we've already offered, but then if you don't do a good job with those other 60 guys. There's going to be five or six guys in there that you're going to offer scholarships and they're going to base their opinion on Penn State about the how that experiences is."

Next, the group will discuss what they expect out of the freshmen linebackers Ta'Mere Robinson and Tony Rojas. 

"For Ta'Mere, a huge part of it is just the confidence. I think we all forget, he hasn't played football in a year. I literally was at his first game of the year when he got hurt. He didn't play again the rest of the year. So him getting out here playing, I think it's been really valuable for his confidence. And then Rojas, he's been gaining more and more confidence every single day. He's put on 29 pounds since he's been here, and it's a good weight. I don't know how that's necessarily possible, but he's put on 29 pounds. Every time I go to the nutrition bar, he's sitting there eating. After practice, he's getting an extra pump in, and he's playing fast. There's a lot of excitement about those two guys."

BWI Mailbag

Finally, the crew will hear from you. What do you want to know about practice this week? What other Penn State sports are on your mind? T-Frank will take questions from the live chat and prepared questions from the BWI message board to end the show. So join us live to get in on the action! 

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Penn State basketball introduced new head basketball coach Mike Rhoades last Thursday, but the fallout of former head coach Micah Shrewsberry isn't over. After public bickering over NIL spilled into the social media landscape, and since then, more formal means of communication, it's clear there is a battle going on inside Penn State. 

The Athletic Department, led by new director Pat Kraft and the university are attempting to chart a productive course through the new name image and likeness frontier. But inside, political infighting is causing serious concerns for that future. 

That is, according to an alumni-elected board of trustees member, Brandon Short. 

Short sat down with Blue White Illustrated's Nate Bauer for an interview about the situation surrounding Shrewsberry's departure and warns of more trouble to come. Listen to the full interview wherever you get your podcasts, or on our YouTube channel. Subscribe to Blue White Illustrated so you never miss special content. 

"Losing Micah Was a wake-up call"

Short didn't mince words speaking with Bauer. 

"We lost Micah for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest reasons was a lack of support through NIL," Short said. This backs up the reporting that Bauer had conducted prior to Shrewsberry's decision. Short went on to say that the situation is a black eye for national perception.

"It's a wake-up call for me. When he chose Notre Dame over Penn State, I felt heartbroken and embarrassed that a school could come and take our coach. We're Penn State. We're not a stepping-stone job. Penn State is a destination job, and I think we need to do everything that we can to make sure that that never happens again."

More trouble coming for for Penn State

For Short, the issues surround a dissenting minority of Board of Trustees members that he claims are undermining the athletic department. 

"I can tell you that our current football coach has been here for nine years, and we have alumni-elected trustees who claim to be leading the NIL efforts who've never met with the head coach in the nine years that he's been here, much less discussed NIL initiatives."

It's not just NIL, though this is the latest frontier the fight has come to. Short, who did not reference former Penn State coach Jay Paterno or trustee Anthony Lubrano by name, citing some specific events where this group of trustees tried to hold back progress.

"For a lot of people that are upset about losing Micah Shrewsberry, or some of the things they see in athletics, we have three incumbent trustees who all voted against Lasch, all voted against supporting our football program at a time when they needed it."

Short discusses pressing matters for the program and is concerned that the infighting will spill over, affecting football and, thus, the program's overall health. Listen to the full interview for more. 

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According to recruiting insider Ryan Snyder, Penn State football recruiting in 2024 could have experienced a turning point last week. Today on the BWI Live Recruiting Show, Snyder and host Thomas Frank Carr discuss what Snyder means by that statement from this weekend. If you want to find out for yourself, join the show at 10 am on YouTube and get in on the conversation. Of course, the best way to know when Blue White Illustrated goes live is to subscribe to our channel and enable notifications. 

Today the show tackles the commitment of Jon Mitchell, plus the relationship with Florida teammates Antoine Belgrave-Shorter and Penn State. They'll also let you know which prospect didn't make it to campus this weekend and what names you need to know from the weekend. 

Penn State gets a pleasant surprise with Mitchell

As Blue White Illustrated covered this weekend, Penn State got a welcome surprise when four-star corner and top 100 player Jon Mitchell committed to the program Saturday morning. Snyder caught up with Mitchell's trainer and learned how the commitment went down and how Mitchell felt about the program. 

Next, they'll discuss how teammate and friend, Belgrave-Shorter, feels about the program. The 6-0 175-pound cornerback prospect is a fast-rising player in 2024 and should be a hot commodity in Florida. 

It wasn't all good for Penn State this weekend, though. One critical recruit didn't make it to campus on Saturday, which Snyder and Fitz outlined as an important visit on Friday. Beyond that, the weekend featured committed players and regional prospects. 

However, the duo will discuss a handful of names on the show. Namely players from the Class of 2025 that Penn State is working on early in the process. Learn more about New Jersey prospect John Forster, Virginia corner Shamari Earls, and more. The team also welcomed a familiar face back to campus. 

Next, T-Frank highlights the new names to discuss in Penn State's quest to beef up its defensive tackle class this cycle and beyond. Today, he and Snyder highlight 2024 prospect Jordan Thomas and review the film for two new names in the group; DeAndre Cook and Eric Mensah. 

Snyder and T-Frank close out the show by discussing the newest offers that went out this weekend. Aside from Cook, the team focused on future classes all the way down to 2027. Find out what names are possibly on the horizon for Penn State football. 

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Penn State football is busy recruiting future Nittany Lions this week. They also have a massive visit coming up this weekend with four-star wide receiver Tyseer Denmark visiting on Saturday. Find out what other important prospects visited this week and will come up soon from insiders Ryan Snyder and Sean Fitz.

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Penn State football held an open practice on Tuesday evening, the weekly chance for the media to check the team’s progress. While that would normally be the top story of the BWI Live show on Monday, things are moving in the Penn State men’s basketball head coaching search. Today, reporter Nate Bauer will discuss the story he broke early Wednesday morning about VCU head coach Mike Rhoades and his candidacy for the job. 

Bauer will start the show by discussing the situation with host Thomas Frank Carr. Then, Bauer will explain how Penn State got to this situation with Rhoades and what the next steps are before he is officially announced as the team’s newest head coach. 

After discussing where the team goes from here, Bauer will trade places with reporter Greg Pickel, who joins T-Frank to discuss Penn State practice. As always, T-Frank and Pickel will take questions and comments throughout the show, so if you can, join the show live at 10 am on YouTube to get your questions and thoughts heard! 

The two will give their observations from spring ball, deliver any relevant news, and discuss what they heard from players and coaches after practice. Pickel spoke with corner Johnny Dixon and offensive linemen Caedan Wallace and Olu Fashanu and will give his thoughts on their conversations. 

Next, they’ll discuss what head coach James Franklin had to say after practice during Between The Lines where they interpret what the head coach is really saying during his press conference. Today they’ll focus on his repeated call for more physicality from the young players on the roster.

“Yeah, I’d like to see some of the young guys kind of take the next step. We’re halfway through right now, and a lot of them are still kind of hesitant and not as aggressive as they need to be. Defensively, I think we’re actually playing pretty well right now. That’s been good to see. But overall, we still got a ton of work to do before the spring game,” Franklin said.

Next, they’ll discuss Franklin’s thoughts on the Penn State quarterback competition. 

“I would say they have both gotten reps with the ones, which has been good. You know, they’re different styles of quarterbacks. I think that’s one of the things we’re going to have to do a good job with during the season. It’s not like we can just come up with one exact same game plan because they are different types of quarterbacks.”

Finally, they’ll answer fans’ questions from the live chat on YouTube and from message board members at bluewhiteillustrated.com. If you want to get your question on the mailbag show, subscribe right now to BWI and get access to premium content and the message board for just $29.99. 

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